Tag Archives: apricots

This is one of my Healthy January recipes! Chicken, browned in olive oil, dried apricots and prunes, and couscous. What a flavor-filled meal! This was the second course to my Orange, Onion and Olive Salad.

Mediterranean Chicken and Fruit

olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt

pepper

1 cup dried apricots

1 cup dried prunes

15 ounces chicken broth

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin

1 cup couscous

Cut each chicken breast into two or three pieces. Place each piece in a ziploc bag. Pound with a mallet until thin. In a large skillet over medium high heat drizzle a little olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook until browned on both sides – about ten minutes. In a large measuring cup whisk the chicken broth, cinnamon and cumin. Pour over the chicken. Add the dried fruits. Allow to cook for a few minutes. Add the cup of couscous to the skillet. Stir well. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit five minutes. Enjoy!

What can we say about meatloaf – if it’s good it’s very, very good – if it’s bad, it’s horrid! Rather like the little girl with the curl in the nursery rhyme! How many know that comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow? Back to the meatloaf. This is a very different meatloaf – made with ground pork – who says a meatloaf must be made with hamburger?

Other good things added in – apricot puree, onions, sweet red pepper, asiago cheese and nine grain breadcrumbs. Shaped into a loaf, it’s put in the oven to cook, then brought out and drizzled with barbeque sauce, more breadcrumbs and asiago cheese – then back in the oven for just a bit! How good can it get?!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor with the blade attachment, process the bread into small crumbs. Remove to a small bowl. Drain the can of apricot halves, then puree in the food processor. In a large bowl add the ground pork, pureed apricots, onion, red pepper, about 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. Mix well. Place in a baking dish and form into a loaf. Bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Drizzle Kentucky Smokin’ Grill Sauce over the top. Add a few extra breadcrumbs and top with remaining asiago cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Enjoy!

Ritchey’s glass pumpkin jar is filled with something brand new! No, they do not contain pumpkin! But they are made with something orange – does that count? After all, it is fall! All afternoon at work I kept thinking about pulverizing something in the food processor – honestly, the day wasn’t that bad! But a cookie was evolving. I finally decided upon apricots and almonds – two very good ingredients that go well together. First use the food processor on your almonds until they are very fine. Those little bits will be all through the cookie and make it irresistible!

Next in go the apricots – it would have been too messy starting with them! Whirl them around until they are finely chopped. Again – apricot bits through the entire cookie!

Get your cookie sheets ready!

Apricot and Almond Cookies

1 cup almonds, processed until finely chopped

1 cup apricots, processed until finely chopped

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, milk and almond extract. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture a little at a time with your mixer on low speed. Add almonds and apricots and mix well. Using a small ice cream scoop dip batter and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

Ritchey and Phyllis Brown

I live to cook! My husband loves to eat! We make a great pair! We enjoy growing tomatoes, herbs and flowers in our back yard. Tearooms are a favorite of ours - well, almost any restaurant will do - as long as the food is good! We are passionate about history and visiting 'where it happened'. Truly we enjoy life! Life together!

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.